Introductions with Tonks
by Syjack
Summary: Alice and Remus are first introduced to Tonks at Grimmauld Place, by Sirius. The green couch makes a comback as do Constant Vigilance. Viva liberté! Chapter three is up! Also looking at what is going on the summer between book 4 and book 5 for the Order.
1. Chapter 1

They sat around the mangled old couch, on and in it. Alice was planted on the arm of the couch, Remus smoking on the couch next to her, Sirius in between them. The table across from them was somewhat of a coffee table the Blacks had used, that was now burnt, stained, dug into, littered with trash and the occasional coffee mug, preserver of dried blood, and leaking some kind of ooze from a plant, ooze that no one had been able to identify. There was one candle in the center of the table, and a couple smaller ones residing elsewhere in the room, that couldn't exactly be pointed out, but whose warmth and light radiated none the less.

"When is she coming?" Alice asked

"In a minute, in a minute, in your old age you're getting impatient as fuck." Said Sirius sliding further into the couch, hands dug into his jacket.

Remus just smiled behind the smoke. "She was always that way."

"_Your_ sister is getting a right site too annoying for my tastes, you know mate"

"Good, then I can move out of this place and getaway from_ the filth, vermin, half bloods and blood traitors befouling the house of my forefathers_! Plus it's disgusting as all hell and I wouldn't have to clean god knows what else from god knows where." She leaned over Sirius, plucked the cigarette from Remus' lips and leaned back. "I'm getting just the littlest bit sick of you old birds anyway." She looked over at them, gesturing wildly with her hands.

"It's because you love us, me rather, and are the laziest piece of shit and won't bother to move, is what it is." Sirius reached over and stole the cigarette right out of her mouth. He looked over at Remus, "She only kind of likes you."

"I'm her brother, she has to like me." He stole it back and sank down, then rubbed the bridge of his nose and his eyes.

"I have to like both of you, I've known you so long. When is she gonna get here?"

Sirius grabbed her waist and flipped her onto the couch, and stared into her eyes and said quite politely, "Shut the fuck up."

"No I will not." She flicked her head around with indignation and he covered her mouth with his hand.

"That's, I can't stand you, you're going out with the trash." And he picked her up and carried her kicking and screaming death threats and threatening castration.

Remus sat there, covered by another cloud of blue, bowed his head and rubbed his forehead and said somewhat silently though audible enough for all to here, "Why?"

Sirius turned around still holding Alice bridal style, still kicking and trying to break for freedom, and said, "Because you had the misfortune of your mother having this … rag doll here."

The doorbell rang. She twisted outwards and was somehow able to elbow him in the gut, he dropped her like a sack of potatoes and she fell with a thud, and skidded away from him before standing up and saying, "Viva liberté" and sprinted for the door, on the way she screamed, "Sirius you're wanted."

Sirius closed his eyes, "Maybe if I think hard enough, she won't be here."

Remus got up from the couch and neatly exhausted the remains of the cigarette in the ash tray. "Mate, I've tried."

"How'd that work out for you?"

"It didn't"

Tonks stood outside and counted, "_One, two, three, four, -"_The door was thrown open and a beautiful blue haired witch, in a black skirt, black tights, light blue t-shirt and purple vest answered.

"Tonks?"

"Yep." And Tonks made to walk in the door when the woman put her hand on the door frame. Tonks stopped taken aback and looked questioningly at her. The woman just smiled.

"You were trained by Mad Eye Moody and all you have to say is yep. Constant Vigilance Auror Tonks!"

Tonks burst out laughing and her cheeks turned pink. "Sorry, should have know. Hello, I am Nymphadora Tonks, daughter to Andromeda and Ted Tonks, my hair turns pink when I'm extremely happy or smitten."

"Hello Tonks, I am Alice Lupin, sister to Remus Lupin, my mother had a strange fascination with Roman mythology and although her name wasn't this she choose my middle name to be Artemis, not many people know this so guard it with your life." She took her hand off the door frame and extended it to Tonks, "A pleasure" Tonks shook it, and then Alice motioned for her to come inside. Tonks followed, picked up her feet and entered. The place still had the gloom it did the last time she entered, though last time she wasn't greeted by shrieks.

"Who's that shreaking?"

Alice's face hardened up and answered, "Walburga."

Tonks' eyes widened and she looked over Alice's shoulder and saw two men wrenching together curtains over a portrait. One she immediately recognized as Sirius and the other seemed vaguely familiar. They closed it and turned towards the two witches.

"Tonks!" Sirius wrapped her into a big bear hug and whisked her off the ground. "How've you been?"

"Down right peachy." She said as she was placed back down on the ground.

"And Andromeda?"

"She's great, still on me about everything. When are you going to find someone, get married and have kids? The clock is ticking you know."Alice and Sirius laughed. Remus stood there with a smile on his face.

Tonks turned, walked up to him, and immediately tripped over the umbrella stand. Remus being the gentleman that he was grabbed her around the middle to prevent her from hitting the floor. She looked up at her savior with big eyes. "Hi"

"Hello Nymphadora."

Her hair immediately turned from pink to red as she said, "Tonks."

"I'm sorry?" said Remus, caught off guard.

"Nymphadora Tonks prefers to be called by her surname only." Interjected Sirius

"So would you if your fool of a mother had named you Nymphadora."

Remus nodded then asked, "Are you alright?"

Her hair changed back. "Yeah, I'm kind of used to falling." She jerked her head to the sighed and rolled her eyes, though she finished with a smile on her face.

"So," Alice interrupted, sizing up Tonks, black jacket, colorful skirt, thick socks with big black boots, an a weird sisters t-shirt. Alice's eyes stopped at the t-shirt and widened. "You like the weird sisters?"

Tonks' smile got bigger. "Definetly."

But before they could get started Sirius put an arm around Tonks' shoulder and ushered everyone into the living room. So things could really get started.


	2. Chapter 2

Three bottles of firewhiskey later and everyone was caught up in the trading of tales from Hogwarts, for no matter how many times this seemed to happen between one group and another, they always seemed to do a moment justice.

"So then the door opens and there's McGonagall in her tartan dressing gown, and that wanker over there," a moment is spent to acknowledge the 'grown up' Sirius in the room who looked surprisingly innocent except for the mischievous glint in his eyes, "Just looks right up at her like she's interrupting something, I'm trying to hide behind him, not laugh, and cover myself with my shirt, and he just winks at her and says, hello Minnie how is your evening treating you?"

Tonks' spits out some of her drink laughs, and looks over at Sirius, "You did not?"

He winked and eyed Alice. "Oh yes he did, and we spent two weeks cleaning the transfiguration room _and_ organizing the detention files for her and Filch." She stole a look at Sirius, "Didn't we?"

He smiled and her cheeks when red. "Actually it was three weeks."

Remus walked into the room with a couple of records. "Three weeks for what?"

"Fuck else do you think for Remy, detention." Sirius said lightly smiling at Remus. Remus frowned and eyed his friend warily. "Can't disappoint those females can we?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Thank god you've got Alice so you don't end up in a broom closet every night with some scarlet woman."

Sirius, Tonks, and Alice shared a look and then burst out laughing. While Remus was gone, Tonks had been informed of just how scarlet Alice and Sirius were at Hogwarts right under Remus' nose. Apparently he was still clueless.

"Oh piss off." He said and then sat down next to Tonks, with the records. "Here they are." He said and eyed them tenderly, looked up at Tonks quickly as she surveyed the collection, and then looked back down immediately. "We have here," he looked over at Alice who waited desperately to hear the choices. They had previously kicked Remus out to get Tonks some records after she had listed The Weird Sisters, The Clash, Bruce Springsteen, The Pixies, and Cindy Lauper as her favorite bands. Tonks had asked what they listened to at Hogwarts and they immediately had a tribunal decision that Tonks should borrow some of their records. "The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground, The Buzzcocks – Singles Going Steady, The Who – Who's next, Modern Lovers – Modern Lovers, and Ray Charles- Ray Charles-live. Now The Velvet Underground is from Alice's collection and she used to be a particular fan. The Modern Lovers-"

"That was James all the way." Barked Sirius.

"Thank you Sirius, I was just about to say that."

"Though Tonks, you have to understand the significance of this matter." continued Sirius regardless, "James was a pretty strange fellow, when it came to music. Picture James, walking down the hall, star chaser (though he could play a number of positions), headboy, already to join the Order of the Pheonix as soon as school let out, best mate a guy could ask for, Defense against the Dark arts master, who's prep song for before he would ask Lily out had the lines Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole. That in a nutshell, was James Potter." They all had a laugh.

"You know, I almost forgot he used to do that." Said Alice.

"It goes even further than that."

"What?" she asked, greedy for most likely hysterical information on James.

But Sirius looked over at Remus, who sat upright with the records neatly stacked on his lap, sneaking glances at Tonks, and Tonks doing the same to Remus, neither of them noticing. "Another time."

"Please."

"Another time, right now we've got some records to go over."

"Fine," then she turned to Remus who continued.

"The Who – Who's next. That was a popular record among the group."

"Mostly Remus, James, and Sirius. Though Remus was noted as the big Who fan. Well, James too. It was a very crucial band in their collections."

"Thank you Alice, for the side notes. Now, we have Ray Charles – Ray Charles-live."

This time Tonks interrupted, "I know him, mum has some of his records lying around the house, but they're not hers or dad's."

"Most likely mine from when a lot of us during Hogwarts stayed at her house for about three days."

"They're yours?"

"Yes, I had wondered where those got to, now we know Sirius." Remus turned to Sirius to whom he had made search the whole of the house with him to find them.

"Now we know. You owe me a bottle of butterbeer."

Remus smirked and rolled his eyes. "Fine, I owe you a bottle of butterbeer. But Tonks, if you already have some, I might have to find a replacement-"

"No it's fine, I really liked him. Also this one wasn't in there." She looked up from the record at Remus who just sat there. "I could, well, I could bring you back your records some time, we could all have a listen at them, what do you say?" She looked really excited at the idea, and she looked over at Remus like a kid asking to open their Christmas presents early. "What do you say Remus?"

"That would be great Nymphadora."

"Great."

"Oh, and Remus" said Alice "Who did The Buzzcocks belong to?" she asked coyly.

"The Buzzcocks, hang on. As in the band that had Ever fallen in Love and What do I get?" asked Tonks.

"Yes,"

Remus blushed slightly, but then turned to face Tonks and leaned in a bit. She leaned in too and they had the record between them and were looking over it intently, Alice and Sirius shared a knowing look. "I've been looking for an album for ages. My mates down at the record shop won't let me get it because they don't believe that Cyndi Lauper, The Weird Sisters and them should belong to the same collection."

"That's quite a shame, though they do have other really excellent songs besides those ones."

"How did you get into them?"

Remus looked up and off into a corner trying to remember. "I believe it was just living in London in the late seventies. We had the opportunity to catch a lot of music then, right Sirius."

"Right, but don't make it sound so much like having the flu would you? We didn't catch them, we went to the record store or a concert, or through a friend and heard them."

"Whatever you say Sirius."

"So Remus, what were you like at Hogwarts? We've heard a great deal about everyone else." asked Tonks.

"I mostly kept out of the way, I read a lot, and … tend to get ill quite a bit as well. I was prefect, and most of the time when we pulled pranks my job was to make sure we didn't get caught. At least, as much as we would have."

"Oh Remus you're full of it. Kept out of the way, down deep you were as if not more mischievous than James and Sirius. You also scored higher than about ninety percent of our classon any quiz, and although you never took advantage of this fact, I had about a couple of girls a week come up to me and tell me how hot they thought my brother was and asked if I could get them a date."

"Endearing as that is-"

"Annoying is more like." Muttered Alice

"You're painting a much bolder picture of me than what actually happened."

"You weren't put into Gryffindor for nothing Remus."

"I'm sure even then you were the quiet professor type, even if you were a teenager." Added Tonks, mostly for Remus' benefit.

"Thank you Tonks."

"Oh shit." Tonks looked at the clock.

"What is it?"

"I've got to run. It's past one o' clock and I have to get up at six."

"You best be off, here, I'll help you with the records and you can get your coat at the door."

"Thanks Remus." And with that everybody stood up, and said their goodbyes. "I promise I'll stop by some time later in the week and drop off your records.

Now Tonks was by the door fumbling with her coat. Scrambling to get back home in time to get a decent night's sleep. Remus stood watching and held out the records. "I'll see you later Nymphadora."

She smiled. "It's Tonks, and I'll see you later." And with that she was gone. Though with her went a kind of light from the house, it now seemed it's old gloomy self, and they could notice.

"We're going to go back and finish up the bottle, what do you say Remus?" said Sirius

He stared at the door a minute longer and then said, "Sure, why not." And followed.

"You fancy Tonks don't you Remy." Asked Alice

"I do not." Replied Remus, slightly annoyed at the nickname.

"You do too. Though if you cross a line, I break your knee caps, fair?"

Remus was about to protest that he didn't fancy Tonks, but figured it no use. They were nothing, if not persistent. "Fine, fair."

"Good, now let's finish the bottle up." Said Sirius as he made his way down the hall.

"Come on Remus, let's go. Fun times will be ahead soon enough, now we need to sulk and recall memories. Come on, join us." And she looped her arm with his.

He looked down at her. "It's okay, I'm going to head off to bed. I'm tired. I'll see you two tomorrow for more cleaning." He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.

"Okay. Always the optimistic though aren't you." She called after him. She walked down the hallway and into the 'living'. Sirius was on the couch with a glass already in his hand. "Hey you."

"Hey." He looked around. "Where's Remus?"

"The old man got tired and wanted some shut eye." She sat down next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. He pulled her closer. "Sirius?"

"Yes."

"Do you think it's going to be like last time?"

He paused and stared into his drink. "I don't know. It feels like it though."

"Yeah."

He looked down at her and recognized the far off look in her eyes. "But we don't have to worry about it for awhile." She nodded and then smiled wearily at him.

"Sirius, I'm don't think I'm up to going through another bottle. Do you want to just go to sleep?"

"I'm not tired, you?"

"No." then she smiled. "Though I do believe I've never seen your room."

A lightbulb clicked in his head. "I do believe you haven't." He held out his arm to her. "May I walk you there, o scarlet woman?"

She rolled her eyes but smiled and took his arm. "Sure Sirius, sure."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: Of course I'm not. Alice belongs to me and Sirius, and Remus too I suppose. The poor bloke does deserve to have some kind of say in his sister, if however little. Oh, and the Arthur Weasley tweaked toaster belongs to me as well as I'm rather proud of it.

I would also like to say thank you so much to **Esme's Favorite Daughter** for being my first and last reviewer, and for sticking with this story dispite its irregular and far in between updates.

About two weeks later from the prior events in the story thus far:

"Ohhh, fuck ow ow ow!" muttered Alice over the kitchen stove top, early one morning. _They weren't up yet. Of course, lazy bastards, _she thought as the cooking bacon sizzled and spat grease at her arms, as she tried to tame it and make it edible and somewhat cooked. She pivoted on her heel slightly and lunged to put the kettle on for coffee. The burner whizzed to life as the sweet addicting smell of coffee beans filled up through the house. Alice then turned and walked over to a side door that led slightly down some stairs to where the 'underground freezer/fridge' that the Black family had employed in use and invested in rather than use muggle electricity and actually getting a freezer, was. Well that was pureblood mania for you, no electricity and no fridge. As she walked down her barefeet smoothly gracing the steps before freezing as she only had on a pair of Sirius boxers and t-shirt that she had claimed from him. She smiled fondly as she recalled the last time Tonks had come over to visit to exchange records with Remus, and had of course hooked Alice on some newer stuff, she had kind of put music on the backburner after Halloween 1981, she put a lot of things on the backburner. She searched through shelves, her eyes scanning for the items she was looking for. She remembered how Tonks and Remus seemed to share a general liking of one another, how immediate it had been, and also the fact that they were on such good terms. Sadly she thought as her eyes found a loaf of bread, that that wasn't as much as her and Sirius seemed to show of late. Oh yes, last week had been fun, and the recalling of past Hogwarts memories and pleasanter times had loosened them up to one another for a while, and she thought as she grinned mischieviously, that she had enjoyed a rather good snog session that night with Sirius in his room plus the groping. _God I mised the groping, he is ….. mind alteringly good at it. _Though that was the one time they seemed to be somewhat like their old selves together, of course the boose prior to Tonks arrival had helped, as well as the boose after. It seemed ever since he came back they avoided one another like the plague. She heard the kettle whistle as she retreated upstairs, her feet stomping on the stair steps. When she opened the door from the food cellar to the kitchen she found Sirius already there in long pj bottoms and t-shirt standing over the coffee kettle and pouring himself some. He turned towards her, raised his mug to her, and smiled slightly though there was a tinge of something she couldn't place as he eyed her clothing or rather his on her.

"Now I know it hasn't been Kreacher that has been knicking my stuff. I wonder if that means that I can't yell at him for it anymore." He said with his eyes on his mug before taking a sip of the warm coffee and it seemed to him, to warm his bones a bit.

_I missed your smell, plus they're really comfy, _she thought then turned away from him. "Sorry to dissapoint you" she said. _And stop being mean to Kreacher, he was so nice for Regulus and its just because you treat him like shit that he's like that to you. Though of course being the mature one was never your forte was it? _He avoided her eyes as well. She went back and placed the toast into the toaster that Arthur Weasley had rigged for them so it would run on magic. She tapped the toaster three times with her wand, and it turned on and began to warm up.

Sirius said behind her, "So it's bacon, toast and coffee today?" he asked as if questioning about the weather and sat down in a seat at the table on the opposite side of the kitchen.

"We have some fruit downstairs I was gonna get to in a minute. Plus there are eggs and sausage waiting in the oven" She said, watching the progression of the bacon. He seemed to mull over the idea of fruit before returning to his coffee.

There was a long silence before Remus walked into the room looking rather groggy in gray blue fannel pjs, bearing with him a new copy of The Daily Prophet, which he slammed down on the table. Sirius grabbed it and flipped through it before his face took on a notable change. "Bastards" He said before throwing the paper across the room.

"What is it?" asked Alice as she pulled the eggs and sausage out of the oven. Remus reached for some plates before filling up two mugs with coffee and adding the specific amounts of sugar and creamer to each mug as its recipient desired then handing one to Alice and placing the plates on the counter.

"The Daily Prophet, more likely orchestrated by the Ministry, is targeting Harry and labeling him as mentally unbalanced thereby discrediting him on Voldemort's return."

"Fuck" Alice replied, then remembered a long red haired witch with green eyes sitting behind a minitsry cubicle excited about her next article for the newspaper and how it would help people to realize the truth and not cover it up. _If only you could see what your newspaper has turned into Lily, I hate to see it. _Then she pilled up the four plates with food, distributed them, then placed one in the oven to keep it warm before going down to the food cellar to grab some fruit. While she was down there, giving the ministry a few choice words of her own, most of them not very nice, she heard the shreaking of a particular portraite and chairs being hastily moved out from the table. _One day when I come across the most foulest hex I can find, I'm going to aim it at that damned portraite and hopefully at least that bitch will be shut mouthed for at least a week, one peaceful nice pleasant week. _"Tonks must be here." She said aloud to the packages and items in the fridge before smiling and jumping up the stairs, pulling Tonk's plate out from the oven, placing the fruit in a bowl, and placing them on the table.

The kitchen door opened to Tonks dressed for the day already in some kind of graffitied up shirt, and big black pants, with the most comfortable and trashed shoes ever seen to human kind. Today she was sporting shoulder length purple hair. "Alice!" Tonks said and wrapped Alice in a hug.

"Tonks, how've you been, and what in the world did you do to the guys, scared them off, perhaps it was your hair. It is a bit early for them for their eyes to withstand the brightness that is that purple." Alice returned Tonks hug.

"Oh, piss off it isn't that bad, besides it is their fault that they're not awake by a decent hour. Lazy old bastards sleeping in all the live long day when there's so much to do."

"Well I don't know if they're that old, but yeah. Though I suppose you can't blame them, don't have much to look forward to do they? I mean Sirius is fucking stuck here with no hope of escaping anytime soon by Dumbledore's orders and Remus well," she pondered how to phrase this to Tonks without outright lying to her, even though the half-truth about it wasn't the whole "with him getting ill all the time it's hard to hold down employment."

"Yeah" said Tonks looking off to the side, lighting up a smoke. Alice spied it longingly before setting Tonks' plate in front of her. Tonks smiled, "I love coming over here for breakfast." She said as she took an enourmous bite of toast.

Alice sat down next to Tonks, which placed around the right end of the table, from right to left: Sirius, Alice, Tonks at the head, and then Remus next to Tonks and across from the other two. Alice grabbed some fruit, eyed Tonks, then said, "So how long have you liked Remus?"

Tonks nearly chocked on her toast, "Pardon?"

"You heard me" Alice said and then smiled "Honestly Tonks I could use a bit of girl talk, as long as you remember he's my brother then we should be fine."

"I didn't peg you for the girl talk type." Said Tonks, trying to recover and dismiss the case at hand.

"I long for a bit of girl talk. Living with Sirius and Remus has taught me just the value of it these past two months."

Upstairs as Remus and Sirius were changing and getting ready for the day ….

"I do not fancy Tonks." Remus argued back

"Bollocks" said Sirius eyeing Remus with a knowing look

"It is not, she's an extraordinary young witch but she's far too young, we're completely different. I mean the age gap alone, besides the fact that I have my" and at this he looked around and lowered his voice, "_furry little problem _to boot"

"I'll tell you again, bollocks. As to the age thing, we're not that old mate." He said and winked.

"Sirius we're thirty five, almost forty probably going on fifty. Tonks is …. 20, 21 maybe. It's not possible."

"There have been differences in ages and of much greater difference than yours Moony."

"Oh, because the one between you and Alice is so astronomical" Sirius merely grunted and turned away "And Sirius, if you hurt her I will not hesitate to kill you."

"I think that speech is getting a little old mate, besides nothing is going on between Alice and me."

"Oh really? So I suppose her sleeping in and wearing your clothes, and you two dissapering into your room for awhile mean't nothing." And Remus squared off, faced to face with Sirius a little ways across the room.

"Look mate, it's complicated."

"Uncomplicate it for me then."

Sirius kicked over a chair, "Damnit Remus," he said and then waved his wand, the stool righted itself and he sat down in it. "I can't, I won't get involved with her this time." He said, Remus still stood watching over head.

"What makes this time different than last time."

"The fact that last time happened." Remus quit his hawk eye glaring at his friend and his eyes dropped to the floor. "Look at what happened to James and Lily," he paused, "It doesn't do any good."

"Look at Molly and Arthur."

"Look at Gideon and Fabian, people die."

"Well Sirius if you're going to continue this way then don't lead her on. She cares for you." And with that he left the room and headed downstairs to finish up breakfast.

"I know," said Sirius to the abandoned room, "That's the problem."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: Don't sue. Also the record place that Tonks mentioned prior, that is also in another fic called Dealing With the Music, is in fact **Championship Vinyl**, the record store from both the book and the movie entitled, **High Fidelity**. I also, **do not own** this. Also on a note for this chapter, in case you haven't read Dealing With the Music, Alice used to work in that record store. I'll try to get these on more of a regular basis than months and months apart.

Sirius waited a few moments before following Remus downstairs to finish off breakfast. He trotted down the stairs and then made his way quietly through the hallway, not to awaken his dear old mum from her portraite's slumber. He pushed open the door to the kitchen and sat down next to Alice, who was the only one still in her pajamas, or his rather. She smiled up at him and he nodded less interestedly in recognition, and careful not to look at Remus. Instead, he sat down and took a bit of some bacon.

"So Nymphadora-" began Remus

"It's Tonks. Honestly how many times must I correct that, surely a gentleman such as yourself would call a lady by her name."

"Though, Nymphadora is your name, so therefore by the rule you previously stated it is what I must call you by."

"I never was one for rules, Remus."

"Well I am, so I do believe you are just going to have to deal with it."

"Can you two stop flirting and get to the issue at hand." Said Sirius. Alice glared at him as Tonks and Remus stopped talking to each other and the air between everyone seemed to grow a little thicker.

_Do you have to be such a prick Sirius, I mean honestly. What's gotten up your arse lately. Besides I thought you were rooting for them, do you know what your little comment is going to do? At least someone around here should have the opportunity to get something. _

"We were not flirting Sirius," said Remus, "And anyways we already have talked about how the ministry is using The Daily Prophet, while you were upstairs. Besides Nymphadora-"

"Tonks" interupted Tonks

"-has just informed us that Dumbledore has scheduled a meeting for the Order next week, which means that we need to get back to cleaning this place out."

"Wonderful," said Sirius as he toyed with some eggs, "Why don't you just tell Dumbledore to drop by so he can help us with the cleaning, it isn't often he hangs around here for-"

"Dumbledore has got more important things to do." Said Alice

"So do I! You haven't read the letters Harry has sent me. All I need to do is just stop by Privet Drive and –"

"Do you know how risky that would be?" interupted Alice

"Yes, I know how risky it would be but maybe I don't care. Hell I wish the Dementors would come after me, I could use a decent struggle for my soul right about now."

Everyone was silent as Sirius looked around the table. His eyes rested on Alice, with her two low pony tails tied below her ears, who looked like she had just been struck. She was also the first one to talk, and in a democratic voice she spoke "Well Sirius, if you feel that way, then I guess there's nothing stopping you from-"

"Um … Nymphadora, what was the name of that record store you were telling us about?" said Remus trying to interrupt and stop the fight before it really got going.

"Well then I guess I might as well just-"answered Sirius to Alice's previous comment

"Championship Vinyl" replied Tonks

"Fine then, just don't expect any of us to come to your ..." Then Alice turned to Tonks. "Did you just say Championship Vinyl?"

"Yes"

"I used to work there; it must have been oh … sixteen years ago. Is Rob Gordon still working there?" Alice said, warmly remoniscient with a hint of nostalgia. Sirius' head snapped towards Alice.

"Yes he is," now Sirius faced Tonks and kept looking between the two females. "He hired two guys to help him man the fort a couple of years ago, Dick and Barry."

"God, I'll have to drop by sometime."

"No you won't" said Sirius, Alice turned towards him with a bemused little grin on her face that vaguely reminded him of the cat who ate the canary.

"Oh, I don't know," she said, "It has been awhile, and Rob was always so much fun. It has been ages. Besides I can stop there with Tonks. I do believe you said you were going there today?" Alice said, then turned back aorund to face Tonks, who's eyes lit up.

"You know, I believe I was."

"I'll go right upstairs and change and then we can go, what do you say?"

"Sure." Then Alice trotted upstairs to go change and suddenly Sirius, Remus, and Tonks were left alone at the table. "So Sirius, do you pride yourself on generally being an ass?" asked Tonks

"Piss off"

Remus laughed and Sirius shot him a deadly look. Then they were all quiet and Tonks said quietly, "You know, you're going to loose her."

"I hope so." Said Sirius, though he didn't look at them

"What?" asked Tonks

"Sirius believes that by not being with Alice it will somehow make her safer, happier, or whatever it is that goes on inside his head." Answered Remus

"So I take it you're not going to come to my funeral either?" asked Sirius

"I really had been hoping you'd off yourself one of these days and get to it."

"Nice to know you care so much"

"Only for you dear" finished Remus, ironically joking with Sirius, who blew him a kiss.

"Ladies," interuppted Tonks, "I do believe that is the most piss poor and stupid plan I have ever heard, and I work for the ministry, congradulations mates." And with that she toasted them with orange juice.

Upstairs Alice was pacing her room with her closet open. _I can't believe it, I am acutally worrying over what to wear. I never did that when I worked with him. God, he owns that shop now, as well he should. He's really good at it. Though, is going over to see him the best idea, I mean, it has been an age. Besides it's not like we're both slaking at the store anymore. It would be amazing to work there again. What about Sirius though? _She sighed. _Well I guess that's up to Sirius. _She opened up her underwear draw. _I hope Rob still enjoys his lingerie, even if he's never going to see it. _When she finished dressing on what she finally decided, light wornout blue jeans, deep purple button up shortsleeved shirt, and her handy dandy black boots. She still kept her hair down in the two pony tails. She also grabbed her long dark gray knit coat just in case of rain. When she opened the kitchen door she saw Remus doing the dishes and Tonks and Sirius with their feet on the table, flicking little ping pong balls between little nets they created with their fingers. "So, where did you guys get the ping pong balls?"

Tonks looked up as Sirius aimed a shot. "My place, had them lying around and then brought them over here, swear it was just like magic."

"Probably because it was." Said Remus from in front of the sink

"Sorry, been seeing this bloke down at the record store every Thursday, muggle, and it is just so funny to hear him babble on about how I never loose any of the mix-tapes he gives me like some other gals. Little did he know of the wonders of the accio charm." She laughed. Alice discreetly looked over at Remus, who looked no different, except for the tenseness in his shoulders.

"Today is Thursday isn't it?" asked Remus

"Probably" said Sirius, grabbing a bottle of firewhiskey. Alice rolled her eyes before accio-ing it over to her and then putting it away. "Hey, I was drinking that"

"Not before 12:00 Sirius"

Sirius grumbled and then said, "What are you my mother."

"Why?" asked Alice "Would you like me to yell at you?" Sirius glared at her and she just continued to put the bottle away and sit back down. "About time to go Tonks?"

"Yeah we'll catch the morning crowd which means that we'll probably be the only ones there, but now's as good a time as any."

"Good that means while you're gone I can open up a bottle with Remus." said Sirius lazily with his feet on the table, having stopped playing the ping pong game with Tonks. The ping pong sat dejectedly in the center of the table. Alice turned towards the cupboard that housed drinks and promptly locked it, the same locks that she had used to lock her and Sirius' apartment before the whole Azkaban thing, except this time they were time locked instead of passwords and spells for their key. Sirius grumbled something under neath his breath while Tonks just laughed.


End file.
